Best Home Remedies for Wisdom Tooth Pain

Introduction:

Is your wisdom tooth troubling you? Read more to find simple and easy home remedies to get rid of wisdom tooth pain. 

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth that develop in the mouth. They usually erupt between the age of 17 to 25 years. Sometimes these teeth are not able to fully erupt in the mouth as there is not enough space in the mouth for them. This is called ‘impaction’, and 9 out of 10 people haveatleast one impacted wisdom tooth. Impacted wisdom teeth may damage the neighbouring teeth and cause infection and tooth decay. As they are the last teeth in your mouth, the area is difficult to clean, thus inviting the bacteria to cause gum diseases.^1,2 

What Causes Wisdom Tooth Pain?

Wisdom tooth pain can be normal pain that occurs in the process of tooth eruption. But in the case of an impacted wisdom tooth, the pain occurs as the jaw does not have enough space to accommodate the tooth. The tooth may sometimes erupt at a wrong angle.² 

Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Tooth:

The symptoms sometimes develop suddenly and sometimes gradually over time. The symptoms include the following: 

• Redness, swelling or bleeding in the gums 
• Bad taste in the mouth 
• Swelling and pain in the jaw or face 
• Halitosis(bad breath) 
• Pericoronitis(infection and inflammation of the tissues around partially erupted tooth) 
• Dental caries(decay of tooth) 
• Cyst formation in the jaws 
• Difficulty in opening the mouth completely^2,3 

Home Remedies for Wisdom Tooth Pain:

Try the following methods to get rid of wisdom tooth pain at home: 

1. Salt Water Rinse

Rinsing the mouth with sodium chloride solution (saltwater) that has anti-inflammatory properties relieves wisdom tooth pain.⁴Afterbrushing your teeth well, rinse your mouth with warm water having dissolved sodium chloride (salt).  

2. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera gel is effective in decreasing wisdom tooth pain.5  To get relief from the wisdom tooth pain use aloe vera gel. Cut open an aloe vera leaf and squeeze the yellow transparent gel from it. This gel can be taken on the fingertip to massage it onto your gums around the affected teeth to get rid of the pain. Massage the aloe vera gel only after brushing your teeth well.  

3. Clove Oil

Eugenol, a chemical compound present in clove oil, has an analgesic (pain-killing) property which helps in dealing with wisdom tooth pain.⁶Apply clove oil directly onto the gums or boil four to six whole cloves to make clove water. Now massage the clove water on the gums to get rid of wisdom tooth pain. 

4. Sesame Oil

Oil pulling with sesame oil reduces tooth pain.⁷You may swish the sesame oil around the mouth for some time and then spit it out like a normal mouthwash. This is called oil pulling or oil swishing. It decreases the bacteria in the mouth and reduces wisdom tooth pain. 

5. Peppermint

The analgesic property of peppermint helps in relieving wisdom tooth pain.⁸Soak a cotton ball in a small amount of peppermint extract or peppermint oil. Now apply this cotton ball to the gums to relieve the pain. Cold peppermint tea can also be used as a mouth rinse. 

6. Turmeric

Curcumin, a chemical compound present in turmeric, has an analgesic property which helps in relieving wisdom tooth pain. 9 Mix turmeric, salt and little mustard oil to make a fine paste. Now rub this paste on the teeth and gums to get relief from the pain. 

7. Guava Leaf

The leaf of the guava plant has been used for the management of toothache and inflamed gums which are common symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth.^2,10 You can chew the guava leaves and put this paste in contact with the teeth for some time to get rid of the pain and inflamed gums.  

When to Seek Medical Help?

Consult the dentist immediately if you have pain or other symptoms in the area of the last molar. A dentist can determine if the issue is due to impacted wisdom teeth or not.² 

Conclusion:

Wisdom tooth pain can be normal pain that occurs in the process of tooth eruption. But in the case of an impacted wisdom tooth, the pain occurs as the jaw does not have enough space to accommodate the tooth. The tooth may sometimes erupt at the wrong angle. Wisdom tooth pain can cause discomfort, but it can easily be managed and prevented by using simple remedies at home. It is the most common type of pain in the mouth. Severe tooth pain may impact eating, sleeping and other day-to-day activities. Various herbs have been used for ages to get rid of wisdom tooth pain and are found to be effective in relieving the symptoms. Home remedies such as clove oil, aloe vera, turmeric, tea bag, sesame oil, peppermint and sodium chloride solution, etc., are found to be very effective and useful in easing the symptoms. However,if the pain is severe and does not subside within a few days, consult your dentist immediately. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

References:

1. Cleveland Clinic 2022,Impacted Wisdom Teeth: Symptoms, Signs, Removal & Recovery [Internet]. [cited 11 May 2022]. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22296-impacted-wisdom-teeth 

2. Renton T, Wilson NH. Problems with erupting wisdom teeth: signs, symptoms, and management. British Journal of General Practice. 2016 Aug 1;66(649):e606-8. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4979926/ 

3. Collins JR, Veras K, Hernández M, Hou W, Hong H, Romanos GE. Anti-inflammatory effect of salt water and chlorhexidine 0.12% mouthrinse after periodontal surgery: a randomized prospective clinical study. Clinical Oral Investigations. 2021 Jul;25(7):4349-57. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33389135/

4. MangaiyarkarasiSP, Manigandan T, Elumalai M, CholanPK, Kaur RP. Benefits of Aloe vera in dentistry. Journal of pharmacy &bioallied sciences. 2015 Apr7(Suppl 1):S255. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439686/ 

5. XuJS, Li YA, Cao XU, Cui YU. The effect of eugenol on the cariogenic properties of Streptococcus mutans and dental caries development in rats. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 2013 Jun 1;5(6):1667-70. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23837051/

6. Shanbhag VK. Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene–A review. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine. 2017 Jan 1;7(1):106-9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198813/ 

7. Fayed MA. MenthaPiperita L.-A promising dental care herb mainly against cariogenic bacteria. Universal Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2019;4(3):33-8. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334469261
8. E ¹ MV. A study to assess the effectiveness of the guava leaves mouth wash for patients with oral problem. Available from: https://pnrsolution.org/Datacenter/Vol7/Issue5/6.pdf 

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